Judas Priest: You Make The Call
Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 02:21PM Happy Record Store Day! Today's post is from our friend HIM.
In previous posts, I have made a case for why, after so many years of great music, Priest have been placed in the shadows of another classic British band, Iron Maiden. This post is not about that (though, perhaps, it has some bearing on what I am writing).
I stumbled across these (not great quality) videos on another site. And I started to think: “How do I feel about hearing these songs played this way, today?” Keep in mind, I have seen Priest over half a dozen times. I have seen them blow other bands off the stage. I have seen them when Halford could barely move and could hardly muster the strength to suggest he was/is the Metal God. I’ve seen them in outdoor amphitheaters and smaller venues. I love Priest, even if I don’t really get into the newer material for a host of reasons.
These three songs—two for what I consider their “classic period” and one from the point where they were moving in a different direction—are all songs I love. The first two? When I initially heard them, I was floored. And I mean floored! The first song is just a straight-ahead monster of spit and venom directed at the fairer sex. Classic metal. The second song shows just how much Priest were able to blend different textures into their music when they were firing on all cylinders (compare it to “The Rage” and you will see what I mean). The third song was them moving into an aggressive revamp that certainly suggests them moving towards some trends at the time. But, boy oh boy, what a take on those trends! I still recall listening to this on my Walkman as I was walking around Yugoslavia (yeah, when it still existed) and just smiling at my luck to be there, listening to this song.
That is a roundabout way of saying I am not making any judgement in asking you what you make of these songs played this way nowadays. I have my own opinions, and I now infrequently offer them. But this post is about asking you how you feel about the following:
Devil's Child
Victim of Changes:
Painkiller:
To be clear, I am glad that Priest are still around. More than happy (and also glad that KK is making his music for those who want to hear it). But I would love to hear your thoughts.
Judas Priest
Reader Comments (6)
Halford still sounds good for a 70 yo. The band is tight. But that being said devils child live version from SFV tour was a beast. Here it’s a rendition. The Rage is a top 10 song for me. Victim of Changes is beautiful and was written before Metal was Metal . And Painkiller in ‘90 was a return and rebirth after their I’ll admit all out cash grab attempt at ‘80’s Bon Jovi glory. Maiden did it, AC/DC did it. It (the lure of mtv money and fame and women) was a force unlike nothing popular music has or ever will see. Painkiller and the album was their last before Rob did what he had to do (solo, coming out etc). Then we all matured and have the Priest of the 21st century which IS Priest but not. KK should be there. Despite what we know we just don’t know. I have a feeling management (Jayne) cannot hold a candle to Tim Smallwood and Halford as the leader of Priest can’t hold a candle to Steve Harris in terms of direction of the bands.
I’m good with it all. It’s business and their lives. Whatever. I’ve got mine as well. Could’ve seen JP 3 times in the past week. I almost did but did not.i saw KK and thought Burning Witches and LA Guns were better. Still happy I saw KK up close. I’m good with it all.
I lump Priest in with the bands who did a farewell tour but still didn't have the sense to actually leave (*cough* KISS *cough* CRUE *cough* OZZY).
I last saw Priest on Nostradamus and it was kind of sad to hear Painkiller even at that point - Halford unable to deliver the goods (har har) and Scott Travis seemingly under-challenged (bored).... Besides the fact that there were about 2,500 people in a 20.000 seat arena.
Firepower and Invincible Shield were good enough additions to their catalog, but are they really necessary? Who am I to say, the latter was Priest's highest ever charting album in the UK so it's a nice accolade for them, this late in the game.
I do find it odd that a band who defined the Heavy Metal twin-guitar style now has neither of their guitar players... although Ritchie can write some pretty uncanny Genn Tipton-esque solos, I'll give him that!
Obviously, I love Priest. And I love Maiden. I am glad both are still around. But the non-question that led the story still nags at me (as Kixchix noted and then astutely analyzed).
I guess it comes down to the matter of "squinting" that I have mentioned in other posts: how much do you have to do to make what you see and hear sound the way you want it to sound, while the band you love is trying to do the same? Phew. Long question. The related question is: how much longer can you and I do that while they or them do it too? The first question is a matter of preference and opinion, so I didn't really want to place myself into the mix (though those who have read my previous posts can most certainly tell where I stand). The second question ends up not really being a question at all. It is a statement, alas. When I posted "Twilight of the Gods" about Sabbath several years ago, I was nodding to that which I am now pointing.
Which means what exactly? Our time on this marble is finite. So, too, those bands we love. And many of those bands have clocks that are older than ours. I think it is possible to truly admire them soldiering on as time ticks on by. I also think it isn't a bad thing to give them a pass (or two). But I also think that, for some of us, there comes a point in time when what we admire and what they are doing stop syncing. So we revert to what was and not what is. We go back to the source tapes. We stop playing the new songs. We stop attending the concerts. In the process, we end up taking part in the slow wearing away of the thing we still love. Thank goodness others don't do that, for whatever reasons. But some of us do.
Mind you, again, I am glad that both bands are still in the game. But I often question why I am (irrespective of the divergence in their status in terms of sales, concert draws, etc., and/or the odd spike, relatively speaking, that Mike duly noted). Hence, the post.
Appreciate, again, all of the responses. It is so nice to hear people discussing the music I love.
Be well everyone.